Mindfields
by HardfacedQueenofMisadventure
Summary: A first step down the rabbit hole. Neo's thoughts during the nightclub scene in the first movie.


**I had the idea for this just as I settled in to watch The Matrix for about the fiftieth time…and wound up replaying the club scene about five times in a row just to get it right. Yes, this short contains dialogue from the movie, which I do not own, nor do I claim to own it. You hear that? It's not mine, I'm just using it for accuracy purposes. So no pointing the finger of plagiarism, 'kay? The rest of this fic, however, is mine, and I hope you enjoy it.  
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Thomas stood in a near-empty corner of the densely crowded club, wishing to God he'd never agreed to come. It wasn't just the penetrating, never-ending noise, or the lights that played tricks on his eyes and made his head pound, but the feeling that something huge was about to happen to him. He could feel the weight of it bearing down on him like a storm on the verge of breaking, something out of sight and out of his control. Whatever was about to happen, it was too late to back out now. And he hated feeling that powerless.

_Follow the white rabbit… _Time wore on and the music grew louder and harder to listen to, and still nothing happened. Maybe he had it wrong, in fact he probably did. Whoever had been on his computer, how were they supposed to know that Dujour had a white rabbit tattooed on her shoulder? How would they even have known that she was there at all? He closed his eyes for a second, feeling both let down and massively relieved.

"_Hello, Neo." Shit. _His eyes snapped open again, every instinct on alert now. Somebody was standing right behind him. He turned his head slowly, coming face to face with the owner of that voice. He'd never seen her before in his life, yet she spoke as though she knew him well. She eyed him dispassionately, her expression betraying nothing.

"How do you know that name?" he demanded. _Who the hell are you? Why are you here? _She looked deep into his eyes, and all other questions faded away. He glanced away quickly, focusing his attention on some far-off point of the room.

"I know a lot about you," she responded calmly.

"Who are you?" He tried to banish the uneasy tremor from his voice, but, no matter what, he couldn't bring himself to meet her gaze again.

"My name is Trinity."

"Trinity…?" He knew that name, he'd definitely heard it before. Fragments of articles and chat logs he'd read crowded his mind as he struggled to find the right one…_Trinity_… Then it hit him, cascading into his thoughts before he could pinpoint it properly. "_The _Trinity?" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, and he blushed faintly, realising how ridiculous that had sounded. The merest hint of amusement sparked in her eyes, but she kept quiet. He cleared his throat shyly, once more looking away. "…Cracked the IRS D-base?"

"That was a long time ago," Trinity said, glancing away briefly as though the mention of her past exploits was somehow embarrassing to her. _God. The infamous Trinity… _He'd heard her name mentioned with a sort of reverence in many circles; he'd never thought he'd actually have a chance at meeting someone like her. He'd also never pictured her being quite so…female. That thought alone made him blush furiously, and he just hoped she didn't notice.

"_Jesus," _he murmured before he could stop himself.

"What?" Her expression was serious now, her eyes – were they blue or green? The light made it impossible to tell – scrutinising him closely.

"Uh…" _Words, dammit, I need words! _"I just thought, uh, you were a guy." _Holy shit, did I really just say that? _He groaned inwardly, but she actually seemed somewhat amused.

"Most guys do." The faintest hint of a smile played at the corner of her mouth, and he found himself relaxing a little. Something about that simple smile made him remember cryptic words in glowing green…had that been down to her?

"That was you on my computer." She didn't reply, but he somehow knew that he was right. "How did you do that?"

"Right now, all I can tell you is that you're in danger." Her tone remained so calm, her eyes still giving nothing whatsoever away. "I brought you here to warn you."

"Of what?" Her words were ominous, but he couldn't find it in himself to panic yet. His mind felt numb, allowing him only to focus on what was happening in front of him.

"They're watching you, Neo." He shivered involuntarily, and the anticipated panic finally made its appearance.

"Who is?" This time, his voice only just managed to avoid trembling.

"Please, just listen." She took a step towards him, and another, until she was close enough to whisper right in his ear. He could feel the warmth of her body, and her cool breath against his neck.

"I know why you're here, Neo," she murmured, so close that they almost touched. "I know what you've been doing." Every word sent a shiver through his entire body, and he did his best to listen to her. "I know why you hardly sleep, why you live alone and why, night after night, you sit at your computer." Her shoulders and arms were bare, her pale, near-flawless skin exposed, contrasting strikingly with the jet-black of her clothing. Her hair was cropped short and slicked neatly back, dissolving into little curls at the nape of her neck. It took him a while to realise he was staring shamelessly, but thankfully she was too busy talking to him to notice.

She shifted slightly, her cheek brushing against his for a fraction of a second. Her tone took on an almost-dreamy quality as she continued to speak, her breaths coming slow and even against his neck. He stood as still as he could, both fearing and craving the intimacy. More than anything he just wanted her to _back off, _but at the same time he didn't. She understood what nobody else in the world did, and she wanted to tell him more. He clung to the opportunity, his information-hungry mind drinking in her words, committing them to memory.

"…You know the question, just as I did." He took a deep breath, and his head began to spin slightly. He wanted to cling to her suddenly, to bury his face in her neck and forget everything, but he forced himself to stand firm, though his heart was pounding almost as fiercely as the music that surrounded them both.

"What is the Matrix?" In that moment, it became harder to breathe. It was as though the entire club had faded from existence, leaving them stranded in oblivion, leaving him with nothing to cling to but her warmth and if he let go, he would fall.

"The answer is out there, Neo," she said, her tone simultaneously kind and edged with something dangerous that he couldn't quite place. "It's looking for you, and it will find you, if you want it to." She moved away slightly, coming face to face with him. Her eyes lanced straight through him; she was so close. If he'd wanted to, he could have kissed her. She once more gave him that brief, faint smile, before drawing back and walking away. For a second, all he could do was stare after her as she vanished into the crowds.  
_The answer is out there, Neo.  
_Thomas Anderson's world dissolved.

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**Oof. This took me a while. I've been playing with it for hours now, and it still doesn't feel quite right, but I think I've done all I can. Please be friendly with your reviews, you lovely, lovely people. Seriously, I'm grateful to everyone who leaves feedback, it helps me out more than you can imagine. **

**I realise I'm probably coming across as a bit of a one-trick pony at the moment, and I'm sorry for that. However, I have been working on something entirely different recently, and I hope to publish it soon. I can't say when, as I'm struggling with it right now, but it will appear soon. Soon-ish. **


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